Ruben Amorim insists ‘there was no game’ for Milan against Bournemouth, as the going down to 10 men after 28 minutes made it impossible to avoid a 3-0 defeat. ‘We cannot do that.’
The coach famously had a dismal record against Bournemouth on the Manchester United bench, including a 3-0 defeat here, and he continued that trend at the Vitality Stadium.
They paid the price for two early naïve errors, the Koni De Winter handball for the opening Justin Kluivert penalty, then Mike Maignan’s shove on Tyler Adams prompting the double whammy of a red card and new penalty, converted by Marcus Tavernier.
Amine Adli added a third late on with a free kick, and goal difference could be decisive in this Europa League format.
Amorim regret at Milan errors
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 22: Ruben Amorim, Head Coach of AC Milan, interacts with Mike Maignan after he receives a red card during the UEFA Europa League 2026/27 League Phase MD3 match between AFC Bournemouth and AC Milan at Bournemouth Stadium on October 22, 2026 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
“The penalty on the corner and the red card changed everything, so it was not a game. It was not a game,” Amorim told Sky Sport Italia.
“We didn’t have time to recover from the first penalty. We tried to push in the end, but the third goal made it even harder for us.”
The coach was pushed on his squad rotation, as while the Milan reserves were enough to see off RB Salzburg 4-1, a Premier League team like Bournemouth are a very different proposition.
“There was no game. It’s not about rhythm or Salzburg, there was no game. It is a different team, you cannot have a penalty in that corner and you cannot get sent off in that situation,” he replied with irritation.
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 22: Mike Maignan of AC Milan is shown a red card by Referee Vassilis Fotias after a foul during the UEFA Europa League 2026/27 League Phase MD3 match between AFC Bournemouth and AC Milan at Bournemouth Stadium on October 22, 2026 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Both the errors were on corners and Maignan with his experience ought to know better than to shove Adams in the face, especially under new rules where the ball doesn’t have to be in play for a penalty to be awarded.
“That is true, we cannot do that. We need to keep 11 players on the pitch, there are more experienced players, but now we need to recover and get ready for the next game. We have to run a lot with one less player, try to press at the right moment in that situation, so it was a negative in all aspects tonight.”
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 22: Justin Kluivert of Bournemouth scores his team’s first goal from the penalty spot past Mike Maignan of AC Milan during the UEFA Europa League 2026/27 League Phase MD3 match between AFC Bournemouth and AC Milan at Bournemouth Stadium on October 22, 2026 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Usually when a team goes a man down, they try to go 4-4-1, but in this case Amorim tried to keep his three at the back turning into five under pressure.
“First of all, they know this way of defending, and as I said they tried to push in the final minutes and not take as many risks during the central part of the game,” replied the coach.
“I try to put my players in the most comfortable position and try to change the game with substitutions.”
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 22: Ruben Amorim, Head Coach of AC Milan, interacts with Mike Maignan after he receives a red card during the UEFA Europa League 2026/27 League Phase MD3 match between AFC Bournemouth and AC Milan at Bournemouth Stadium on October 22, 2026 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Did Amorim speak to Maignan following the dismissal?
“No, I didn’t have the time, now I need to go to Milan to prepare for the next match against Udinese. We’ll talk about it when we get back.”
Milan had already shown some weaknesses in their 3-2 win over Atalanta at the weekend, as they risked fumbling a 3-0 advantage at San Siro.
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 21: Ruben Amorim, Head Coach of AC Milan addresses the media during the press conference one day ahead of the UEFA Europa League 2026/27 League Phase MD3 at Vitality Stadium on October 21, 2026 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Now they are chasing in the Europa League after losing two of their first three games, also falling 2-0 at home to Benfica in the opening fixture.
After 100 days of his Milan tenure, how does Amorim view the situation?
“This is part of the journey. If you look at the story of Milan, we are at a different point. Fabio Capello is talking about the history of Milan, and I understand that, but we must be realistic. I appreciated the way we fought, we tried to do something, to help each other out, so we must learn from these moments, realise this is football.”